Her World
by Clux
Summary: Short story: Roxton proposes to Marguerite, FINISHED!
1. Will she, won't she?

Her World  
  
CHAPTER 1 Will she, won't she?  
  
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not happen to own any of these lovely character's..  
  
Big thank-you to Velma-Kelly-Online for reading this chapter thru for me! So here goes.. Enjoy!!  
  
Roxton and Malone leant up against a tree. The morning's hunt had been enough to drain anyone's energy, including the raptors. All in all, they had met seven raptors already.  
  
"What is this, breeding season?" enquired Malone  
  
"Ask Challenger, he's sure to know," answered Roxton with a grin. The two slumped down onto the dampened ground, their backs against a tree. It wasn't often they got to spend quality time together like this. Malone enjoyed a good hunt with Roxton. He didn't so much see him as a brother, but as a hero. He wanted to live up to his standards in hunting as well as his way with Marguerite. His feelings for Veronica were strong but she had not yet accepted him. He had seen this with Roxton and Marguerite but somehow Roxton had managed to break her icy shell. He was not suggesting that Veronica was at all like Marguerite had been, but still, to have a way with the ladies would be good.  
  
"So, you and Marguerite at last," commented Malone somewhat out of the blue.  
  
"I guess so," replied Roxton, proud of his 'achievement'. He was glad he hadn't given up on her. He loved her so much; he couldn't imagine life without her.  
  
There was silence for a while. Roxton felt an urge to ask Malone something he had been pondering over for a few weeks now.  
  
"Malone?" he raised, "What do you think of me, you know, proposing to Marguerite?" he asked, slightly embarrassed that he needed this help from the man he saw as his little brother, sent to look out for him, he guessed, by his real brother.  
  
"This doesn't mean we're going to have little Marguerite's running around does it?" he joked. Roxton smiled, but Malone could tell from his face that he needed a serious answer. "Sorry, that wasn't very helpful was it? Well, I say go for it."  
  
"Really?" replied Roxton. He hadn't expected this kind of response.  
  
"Sure. What have you got to lose?" Malone reassured.  
  
"Well Marguerite for a start," commented Roxton.  
  
Malone hadn't thought about this one. "Well, look, I guess if it feels right, do it, that's all I have to say. Why wouldn't she say yes? She loves you. Surely you know that. Even I've heard her say that!"  
  
"I guess you're right," replied Roxton cheerily.  
  
"Well we'd better be getting back then, wouldn't want to keep Marguerite waiting now would we?"  
  
As they arrived back at the Treehouse, Roxton could only think of Marguerite and how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life by her side. He definitely wanted to go through with this. His thoughts were boosted when he walked in from the elevator. Marguerite, trying to be subtle about her feelings for him, walked up and placed her arms around his waist. Before he knew it, he was kissing her soft lips. It wasn't unusual to see Marguerite expressing her emotions these days.  
  
"And what have I done to deserve this welcome, my dear?" he asked Marguerite as he responded to her invite.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she replied. She made her way back to the table to help Veronica, smiling as she went. She needed Roxton with her; she could sense that security he gave her. She wanted to be with him forever, every day, but especially today.  
  
"Veronica." Roxton made a quiet attempt to summon her over. She turned to him and walked over.  
  
"What?" she responded.  
  
"Shhh," he pleaded, "I need your help." He paused. "I'm going to propose to Marguerite," he announced.  
  
A wide smile spread across Veronica's face. "When?"  
  
"Well I'm hoping tonight, but I need to ask a favour."  
  
"Lemme guess, you need a ring right?"  
  
"Right." He paused. "How did you know that?"  
  
Without warning, Finn suddenly jumped out from behind a shelf. "They didn't give her super powers for nothin' Roxton," she answered.  
  
"Finn!" cried Veronica, grabbing her by the shoulders in an attempt to push her along. "Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?"  
  
"But I am your size," replied Finn, a little confused. "Besides I know everything now," she said with a grin.  
  
Veronica and Roxton smiled at each other. "Ok but you can't tell anyone else," begged Roxton.  
  
"Tell anyone else what?" asked Challenger as he came down the wooden steps to his lab, followed by a rather bored looking Malone.  
  
"Roxton's going to propose to Marguerite tonight," Malone quickly informed him.  
  
"Malone!" Roxton cried fondly. The others took delight in this situation, bursting into laughter.  
  
"You know, Marguerite may be getting a little suspicious soon, you know, with the fact we're all down in Challenger's lab here," Finn reasoned.  
  
Veronica calmed herself. "Ok Roxton, come with me, I think my mother had a lovely ring that would suit Marguerite perfectly."  
  
After dinner, the group were decidedly ready for an early night. That was before they remembered Roxton's plans. One by one, they took a place on the chairs in the middle of the room. Marguerite spent a while in the kitchen doing this and that until the group thought her dithering would never end. After a while, Roxton found his nerves getting the better of him. He knew that it would have to be now or never.  
  
"Malone, would you mind going to relieve Marguerite of her chores," asked Roxton politely.  
  
Malone jumped up, ready to go but Veronica couldn't resist the temptation to tease her friend. "And why can't you relieve her yourself?" she asked innocently.  
  
Roxton stared at her, as if he were about to shoot a T-rex. Veronica couldn't help but let out a giggle. Of course, this set Finn off, who found the whole situation hilarious.  
  
"Yes Roxton, why can't you 'relieve' me yourself?" she teased, coming over at last, much to Roxton's 'relief'.  
  
"I just thought our little Malone could learn a thing or two about housework, that's all," he recovered, as he sat down.  
  
"And you know all about that kind of thing?" asked Marguerite, impressed. She took him in her arms again as she sat down on his lap.  
  
'How's he gonna get out of this one' thought Veronica. 'The situations he gets himself into!'  
  
The group were quiet, watching the two lovebirds together.  
  
Slowly, Marguerite became aware of their pondering eyes. "What's wrong with everyone tonight?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
Roxton coughed subtly, well at least he thought so anyway. The others suddenly clicked that their presence wasn't welcome.  
  
"Well, erm, I'm going to do some washing then," said Veronica, getting up and walking to the other side of the room.  
  
"I'll go and, er, check that gun we used earlier with that, um, raptor," faltered Malone, kicking himself at the sound of his feeble excuse.  
  
"Come to think of it, I have some experiments I need to be working on," announced Challenger. "Care to join me, Finn?"  
  
"Oh no, I'm fine right here," answered Finn. Judging by the look on Challenger's face, that was clearly not the right answer. She looked at Roxton who had the same look, and then back to Challenger. "Ok?" Challenger and Finn made their way toward the lab.  
  
Once they were reasonably alone, Roxton moved away from Marguerite and stood up. Marguerite, sensing that something was definitely up, shifted edgily. "Now where are YOU going?" she asked, hurt at the fact everyone was leaving her. His response was more than she could have possibly imagined. "Come with me." He pulled her up and walked her down toward the elevator. As they reached the floor, scents filled the air around them. Candles burnt bright on logs in the midst of the trees. Marguerite's eyes glinted with passion.  
  
The others gathered around the balcony and held their breath. They had been waiting for this moment for such a long time; umpiring the couple's love fights, watching their passionate dreams grow into days and weeks away, and now, finally, the time had come for them to openly admit their love for one another. The past three years had all been leading up to this moment.  
  
Roxton held Marguerite tight. "I love you," he started. "I've loved you from the day I met you. You're amazing Marguerite. You make my heart compete, you're my life. I can't live without you, and, I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives." He knelt down on one knee. "Marguerite."  
  
Marguerite backed up, her eyes looking down at him. They seemed upset and somehow her cheeks had faded to a pale white. "Please don't John, don't do it, please."  
  
Marguerite didn't run but knelt down to Roxton. She could tell that he was hurt and his eyes were glazed. "I love you," she whispered. She placed her arms around his neck and kissed his soft lips longingly. After a while, both of them collapsed to the floor, Roxton being very confused. She stared deep into his eyes; she saw faith and a world of truth. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Roxton embraced her again, kissing her gently as he wiped away her tears.  
  
"I, I need to tell you." Her words trailed off, succumbing to her grief.  
  
Roxton became even more confused. 'Surely she can't have another secret.' He looked at her face lovingly. "It's ok, you can tell me, whatever it is, you can trust me," he whispered, calming her.  
  
"Don't leave me John, please don't leave me," she breathed, pulling him closer. "I need you, I.."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere Marguerite, I never will," he reassured her.  
  
Now Roxton was worried. His mind wondered, desperately trying to think what this could all be about. 'If she doesn't have another secret, then why is she so upset? What could she possibly have to tell me that would stop her from marrying?'  
  
Then it hit him.  
  
Marguerite's past was a maze of events, each entwining each other, but this memory was different. Her emotions were chasing her. This was something she had kept to herself, something that affected her and only her, until now.  
  
For him, being married would be an entirely new chapter in his life, but for Marguerite this would be nothing new at all. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how little he knew about this, and the more likely it seemed. Of course, he knew that she was widowed, but she had never really talked about it. Her life was a mystery but he would solve it one day. He asked her quietly. "Past marriage?"  
  
She nodded despondently, not daring to look up at him.  
  
Inside, Roxton was kicking himself for his negligence. "Marguerite, I'm sorry, I didn't think."  
  
She looked up at him and saw the warmth in his face. "It's not you Roxton, it's just.. today." She sat, leaning into his arms. Slowly she relaxed to him, regaining her form. She looked at the ground beneath her, her eyes focusing. "You need to know."  
  
Thank-you for reading! Next chapter very soon!! So what did you think? Should I continue? xx 


	2. Hard Times and Hope

Thanks for all your reviews guys!  
  
I thought it might be fun to do this so here goes:  
  
Barbiedahl - well here's chapter 2 and all the answers should be right here, If I've left anything out, be sure to let me know!  
  
Katrina - thanx for your review, though this chapter does get a lil more confuzin, hope I didn't take too long! Thanx for a review on new beginnings a while back aswell!  
  
Spirita - thanx for reviewing this story and askin bout the other one, I definitely intend on finishing both this story and New Beginnings, just been real busy with exams at the moment so should get more chapters up sometime soon!  
  
Little Bird - hehe an over-reaction is always good!! And yes mam, here tis!  
  
E1stwin - thank u, glad I got some tension in there! cliff-hangers are just great aren't they?!  
  
Wishes - well this chapter isn't as cute but I hope you bear with me anyways!! And bear with me on my other story new beginnings too, thanx for a review on that btw!  
  
prin69 - thanx for the encouragement in your review, hope you enjoy chapter 2  
  
keys3303 - I've said it before but I'll say it again, cliff-hangers rule and hopefully I haven't taken too long to update! Thanx for your review on New Beginnings too, this was supposed to be a story while I waited for inspiration for that, but now it's a whole nuther story to confuse me!  
  
LoveMR - wait no longer, I continued!!  
  
M+R forever - thank you, more is here!  
  
A. Windsor - since you asked so politely, another chapter is here, and thanks for your review on new beginnings too, it's coming along, slowly!  
  
TheChosenOne3 - I know how much you hate cliffhangers so this was just for you *evil laugh* muhahaha! Anyways glad you like it and btw the other story is still goin, just not anywhere fast. hope to speak to ya soon, long time no speak (  
  
Margie - thanks for th support, heres chapter 2  
  
LMR - thank you for your kind words and hope you like this chapter, only it isn't as cute as the last, in fact it isn't cute at all, but it's ok, I promise chapter 3 will be a happy ending, or on the other hand, maybe I could take the evil approach.  
  
Pandagal - afraid you'll have to wait for chapter 3 before her answer is revealed but here's a bit of Marguerite's past..  
  
Amy - thanx for reviewing, I know I took ages, forgive me!  
  
So without further ado, here it is!!  
  
I don't know where this chapter came from, when I read it thru I scare myself!! So you have been warned!  
  
Anyways, the topic that is involved in this chapter was a big discussion topic over here in the UK a while back, and ways to try stop it, because it is a huge problem and to think it is really going on all around us is terrible, so I have researched so please no one be offended by anything mentioned in this chapter.  
  
Well I'm sure you guys don't want a lecture! I'm just scaring you now aren't I? ? Ok then let's just cut to the story..  
  
CHAPTER 2 Hard times and hope 25th October 1916  
  
Marguerite sat in a velvet chair, alone in the mansion her husband had promised her a life in. He had promised her hope and love, but now she was by herself again, as she had always been. She had thought that this marriage might be different from the others; she actually thought it was love this time, though she had never known what true love was. He was perfect, what could have possibly gone wrong? He was a millionaire, highly regarded in society and for a while she had even been in love, at least thought she was in love. He had showered her with gifts of diamonds and jewels regularly and taken her out each weekend to wherever she desired. But now, he was out gambling and drinking as he did almost every night. He hardly even saw Marguerite anymore. The only time he would even acknowledge her was every evening when he would come home drunk and lusting for sex. He would push her down, sometimes even without moving her to the bedroom. Every night, she went through this pain, but every night she would accept it. After all, she had nothing better to live for. He had compressed her feelings and enthusiasm for life into nothing.  
  
That was until now.  
  
Marguerite carefully moved a hand down her front until she reached the small bump that was beginning to protrude from her body. She left her hand there, tenderly stroking it with gentle fingers. Now she had hope, something to live for. It had never been her idea to have a baby in the first place but now that it had happened, she couldn't be happier. Her husband had wanted a child but she hadn't been ready. It had happened late one night. He had thrown her to the floor where she stood in the drawing room, holding her hands firmly above her head as he pushed himself into her. She dreamed that this baby would bring her husband back to her. They could be a family, in love again, without the misery that now reigned over them so often. She smiled to herself as she rubbed her hand over her abdomen, contemplating their future. At last she could feel true love, and she knew that her child would love her in return.  
  
Her smile was soon gone when she heard the familiar sound of her husband's voice echoing in the hallway. She heard the crash of a vase as it smashed to the ground, his voice loud and slurred. She stood up and moved into the kitchen in an attempt to avoid him.  
  
"Marguerite?" he spluttered. After a silence of no reply, he began to yell again. "Answer me."  
  
She had no intensions of answering him.  
  
Before long, he was slowly stumbling into the kitchen, clumsily making his way towards her. "There you are," he murmured, taking a hold of her around the waist. Marguerite pulled away at the smell of his breath in her face. "Where are you going?" he asked as he whisked her back towards him.  
  
This had been a long day and her hormones were beginning to play her up.  
  
"Get the hell off me," she shouted. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"To bed?" he slurred. "What's wrong with right here?"  
  
Marguerite went to say something, but before she could he had stuck his tongue down her throat, pushing her onto the table and ripping at her skirt. As he quickly went to pull off his shirt, Marguerite managed to find enough strength to push him off of her. In his drunken state, he went flying to the ground, a look of anger arising on his face. She went to run but this only made it worse. She had only just made it to the door when he grabbed her back to him, squeezing her shoulders and stroking her hair. She was weak. Carefully he caressed her body, gently removing her shirt. He made his way down her body, kissing her neck vigorously. He pulled her into him again, rubbing himself against her forcefully.  
  
"Marguerite, I want you now," he hissed spitting into her face.  
  
"Well you can't bloody well have me," she yelled as she attempted to pull away again.  
  
"I'll have you whenever I want Marguerite, you're my wife," he jeered into he ear. He grabbed her hands as her back was to him and pushed her into a nearby cabinet. She yelled with impact, her eyes welling in pain as it shot around her abdomen.  
  
"You're mine Marguerite, and you always will be."  
  
She was in too much pain to respond. She sank to the floor, her face stained with tears. "Please, let go of me," she managed to whisper hoarsely. "Our baby.." She now lay on the floor, her body almost paralysed by the pain. Her hand gripped at her front. Her husband continued to maul her body, shouting at the top of his voice. She could get no help. They lived in a place where drunkards were the only form of life at this time of night. Besides, she no longer had any friends. Her husband had cut them off from her years ago. She wanted to get away from this life more than anything but then she would be alone in the world once again. She needed him if just for his presence, if just to make her feel wanted. Her pain was greater than before but she continued to let him touch her, she had no energy to fight him, no will to live. Suddenly something gave her the courage to lash out. "Stop, please, stop. I thought you wanted this baby. Please stop, if not for my sake, for our child's." She paused for breath as he began to move off her, contemplating her words. Her body was throbbing with pain but she continued, it was working. "Don't you remember when we were first together, when we talked for hours, and that day in the park when you first told me you loved me? Don't you remember when we used to be in love?"  
  
Her husband paused, moving up to his feet. Marguerite could feel her body shaking as he rose above her. "What have I done?" he muttered as he knelt down by her side and touched their child.  
  
A sudden jab wrenched around her abdomen. Marguerite snapped at her husband as her maternal instincts told her something she hadn't wanted to know. "Get off me, and get off our baby," yelled Marguerite through streaming tears.  
  
"I love you Marguerite, I'll change, I promise. We will be a family."  
  
She had heard this story before. Before she knew what she had done, she reached for his gun that hung at his side, pointing it at his head. "You've said that one too many times. Remember just six weeks ago you said you'd stop all this? All this drinking and gambling." She paused as a stabbing pain shot through her body. She took a sharp breath and continued through thick tears. "You said you'd stay here, home, and look after me, our child. Don't you understand? You won't change. You've killed our first child and there won't be any more."  
  
"I killed.?" He stood up and looked at Marguerite, slamming her back against the floor as he snatched at the gun. He stood with it in his hand. He looked down at Marguerite, the state of a woman he had made her. He had hurt her one too many times, in one too many ways. He could see the tears streaming down her face. She was scared of her own husband. He knew she was right, he would never change, he would never be anything more than this, and he never wanted to be. He pointed the gun at Marguerite hearing her breathe deeply through her tears. "There won't be anymore? They'll never be anything more than pain Marguerite. Pain and loss. Everyone leaves you sooner or later." He raised the gun to his head, pulled the trigger, black.  
  
Marguerite heard the bang, saw him drop to the floor beside her, his blood trailing to her hand. The gun lay next to her. The tears of her eyes flooded her hair. His words were true. The shock had relieved the pain of her husband's flaw for that momentary second but now it continued to penetrate her body. Slowly, she fell into a state of unconsciousness.  
  
************************  
  
Sorry it took me so long to update this story, I wrote this chapter a while back but I've never really written anything like this before so I was kinda worried about how it would be taken and whether or not to change it. After a lot of deciding I finally decided to post it so any feedback would be much appreciated! ( 


	3. The Answer!

AL - thank you for your review, most of it was very helpful and I didn't realise Marguerite was doing those things in 1916! Just one thing, I think everyone on this board deserves respect for their writing whether you like the work by them or not.  
  
fab- well in answer to your question well I guess you could say all 3 things are a big issue (gambling and drinking, abusing spouses or suicide) doesn't exactly say much for the uk does it! But the main issue was surrounding domestic violence. Oh and yeah sorry if it was confusing about what was happening there, hopefully it's cleared up in this chapter! She was telling Roxton  
  
LoveMR - glad you liked the chapter, it was the M/R fans I was worried about not liking it !  
  
barbiedahl - thank you and yep this was the anniversary of the event so everyone check the dates! Apparently they aren't exactly correct cos Marguerite is said to have been somewhere else at that time? So anyways just ignore that and pretend lol!  
  
keys3303 - glad you liked (or didn't like!) the cliffhanger lol! Hope I didn't take too long with this instalment!  
  
TheChosenOne3 - thank you as always and hope to talk to ya soon! How long do u get off school?!  
  
Kat183 - thank you, glad it was how someone else imagined aswell! Oh and I put chapter 8 of New Beginnings up (at last!)  
  
Spirita - thank you for more of your support, it always helps push me to write faster!!  
  
Angel LeeAnn - thank you for your review and your great writing which I can't wait for more of!  
  
Pandagal - glad you agree with me, maybe I should have made Marguerite shoot him after all!  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
The Answer!  
  
25th October, 1924  
  
Marguerite was now crying passionately into Roxton's arms. The memories of losing her first child were unbearable.  
  
"I killed my own husband John."  
  
"He killed himself," he reassured her.  
  
"If it wasn't for me, for what I said.."  
  
"For what he did to you," cursed Roxton as his mind re-enacted her story. He had never seen her like this before. She had never completely lost control, broken down, like this. When her shields had been up, and she couldn't afford to let them down, everything had been different. But now she had someone she could rely on, could trust, and he knew that he was that person. She had wanted to let this out for a long time, and he wasn't about to let her down now. Now that she had confided in him, he knew that she needed him to be there for her. He took her into his arms.  
  
"Seeing you having our first child is going to be so special Marguerite. You know I'd never do anything to harm you like that?"  
  
She looked up into his eyes, smiled, and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "I know John," she said softly. "It's just that it was.. it was.. today... eight years ago today."  
  
Roxton tightened his grip, leaning over to lightly kiss her temple. "So really I couldn't have chosen a worse time to do this?" He paused for a moment, taking in everything. "I'm sorry Marguerite."  
  
"For what?" Her voice was raised as she moved slightly from him. " I don't even know why it means so much to me. It's not like the child ever even existed, it's not like I was a.. a mother."  
  
He carefully removed the tresses of hair that hid her face from his view, sweeping them back gently. He whispered softly into her ear, "You are a mother Marguerite." They lay back against a nearby tree log and her head rested on his chest. The stars from the darkened sky shone through the branches of the rainforest, the moonlight reflecting off their faces. "Look at the stars," he whispered.  
  
"Not going all romantic are we Lord Roxton?" commented the ever-sarcastic Miss Krux. "Always the amorous gentleman." She smiled up at him and curled a hand around his. He squeezed it gently and looked down at the beautiful heiress.  
  
"Can the gentleman finish his point?" he asked serenely.  
  
She smiled and let him continue.  
  
"When my brother died, all I could think about was that I'd killed him, that it was my fault. But then as soon as I arrived home to see my mother, I knew everything was going to be all right. She made me see that even though William wasn't with us anymore, he wasn't alone; he was somewhere that he wanted to be. That night, she took me outside and told me to look out beyond the stars. She said that she knew he was up there somewhere and that he would always be our hearts, guiding us and making us feel loved. And do you know what, she was right. Each time I think of him, it's almost as though he's here with me, I can feel his presence." He paused. "They're both up there somewhere Marguerite, looking down on us and urging us on." He smiled at her and she was silent for a while.  
  
"My baby girl," she whispered. "Eight years ago." She paused for a moment. "I guess she's not a baby anymore." She smiled and, feeling slightly uncomfortable about her revelations, gently moved away from him.  
  
"You know you're an amazing woman Marguerite."  
  
"Stupid more like."  
  
"If you prefer?" he teased. "But you are; amazing I mean, for getting through this."  
  
"Thank you John. For this, for understanding, for everything you've done here. It really is beautiful and I'm sorry, I...it's just... how? How can I be sure that this isn't going to be the same as before, that you aren't going to desert me at the first sign of civilisation and new women, or turn on me at the first obstacle?"  
  
For a moment, Roxton was hurt at this remark. 'Doesn't she realise that this is different, that I'm different? How can she think I could ever hurt her?'  
  
But then he knew how hard it must be for her to trust after everything she'd been through, and this was just one of her marriages. 'God only knows what else she could have been through.'  
  
"It's alright Marguerite, I don't need an answer, just take your time."  
  
He smiled but she could see the hurt on his face. He moved to get up but before he could, he found her lips on his. As her lips retreated, he could see a tear running down her cheek and a smile on her face. Her face was so close to his that he couldn't see her features clearly. "Yes" she whispered. It was barely audible but it was there just the same. For a moment, Roxton wondered whether she had said anything at all let alone what he thought she'd said. Seeing his momentarily blank expression and a look of confusion arising on his face, she rolled onto him, pushing him down onto the dampened forest floor. "Don't I get a ring?"  
  
Relieved that his ears hadn't deceived him and amused by Marguerite's predictable question, he let out a laugh and pulled her down to lay on the floor beside him. "Of course my love, how could I possibly let my lady go without a beautiful, diamond ring?" He reached into his pocket where he had placed the ring. He held it in the palm of his hand letting her take a look at it. The diamond glinted in the moonlight and Marguerite beamed. "Is it good enough for my lady?" asked Roxton with a grin. He held the ring whilst gently picking up her hand to place it on her finger.  
  
Looking down at the newly placed ring, Marguerite smiled as she realised the implications of her decision to marry.  
  
"Lady Marguerite Roxton."  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
THE END  
  
So, what did ya'll think of the last chapter? I could do another chapter where they announce it to the others or I could leave it here, what you think? xx 


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